Psalms 50:1

The mighty God, even the Lord El Elohim Jehovah. The three names, representing three aspects of the Divine character, are combined to emphasise the majesty of Him with Whom Israel has to do. Elrepresents Him as the Mighty One; Elôhîmperhaps (the original meaning is doubtful) as the Awful One in Whom are united all manifold excellences of Deity; Jehovahas the Self-revealing One. Elôhîmis His name as the God of nature and creation: Jehovahas the God of the covenant and of grace. The same threefold combination is found, twice repeated, in Joshua 22:22, in the solemn asseveration by the trans-Jordanic tribes of their innocence of any wrong motive in erecting the altar of Witness. It occurs nowhere else in exactly the same form, but similar combinations are found. See Genesis 33:20; Genesis 46:3, "El, the God of thy father"; Deuteronomy 4:31, "Jehovah thy God (Elohim) is a merciful God" (El); Deuteronomy 5:9, "I Jehovah thy God (Elohim) am a jealous God" (El); and similarly Deuteronomy 6:15; Deuteronomy 7:9, "Jehovah thy God, he is God (Elohim); the faithful God" (El).

It is noteworthy that two other names of God occur in this Ps. He is called -the Most High" (Elyôn), as the Supreme Ruler of the Universe (Psalms 50:14), cp. Psalms 7:17; Psalms 18:13; and see Appendix, Note ii. In Psalms 50:22, Elôah, the singular of Elôhim, is used. This form is found frequently in Job; in Deuteronomy 32:15; Deuteronomy 32:17; Isaiah 44:8; Habakkuk 1:11; Habakkuk 3:3; and in a few other passages; but elsewhere in the Psalter only in Psalms 18:31; Psalms 114:7; Psalms 139:19.

The rendering The God of gods, the Lord(Jehovah), is not probable, though its adoption by the LXX has given it a wide currency.

hath spoken In the summons which the next line describes. He breaks the silence which has been misunderstood to mean indifference (Psalms 50:21) by proclaiming a great assize.

and called the earth The earth in all its length and breadth, with all its inhabitants, is summoned to be the witness of the trial.